


Five Times It Was Impossible to be Discrete in New York

by kitlee625, Sarahastro



Series: Life in the Field [3]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-02
Updated: 2013-11-02
Packaged: 2017-12-31 03:34:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1026769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kitlee625/pseuds/kitlee625, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sarahastro/pseuds/Sarahastro
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It is not easy being discrete when you work with spies.</p><p>These five stories run in parallel to "Five Times Skye Tried to Find a Place to Stay in New York," and before "Five Times It Was Impossible to be Discrete on the Bus."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Five Times It Was Impossible to be Discrete in New York

1\. Maria Hill

Melinda May is already mostly naked, and she is in the process of unbuttoning his shirt when his phone rings. He sighs and rolls over to answer it.

"It's Hill," she says. "Skye was just picked up trying to drive onto the S.H.I.E.L.D. air field in New Jersey in a van."

Inwardly, Coulson groans. "Where is she?"

"She's being held for questioning at the air field. You need to get down there so she can be released into your custody."

"All right." He sits up and buttons his shirt. "I'll come by and pick up Lola."

"It'll be faster if I just send a car over to your apartment to pick you up," Hill says.

Coulson winces and looks at May. "Actually I'm not at my apartment."

"Where are you?"

"179 - " May shakes her head and holds up three fingers. "I mean, 173 West 82nd Street."

Coulson had hoped that Hill would not recognize May's address, but the long pause tells him that she knows exactly where he is.

"All right, a car is on its way to pick you up," she says.

 

2\. Jasper Sitwell

Sitwell runs up to him in the hall. "I heard you and your team were going to be in New York for a few days. How are you? I haven't seen you since you got back from Tahiti."

"It's a magical place," he says. "You should go sometime."

"What are you doing tonight? Do you want to get a beer and watch the Red Sox game?"

"I can't. I have too much work to do."

Sitwell gives him an incredulous look. "Tonight's Game 4, and the Red Sox haven't been in the ALCS since, what, 2007? I thought you'd be glued to the screen."

"2008," Coulson automatically corrects him. "They lost to the Rays." He shakes his head. "Sorry, I have a lot of paperwork to catch up on."

When Sitwell goes outside that night to catch a cab, he spots Coulson getting into a cab with Agent May. He and Coulson exchange a look, then Coulson looks away guiltily.

 

3\. Skye and Ward

"She's fine," Coulson insists. "She's not a kid."

"You can't just leave a house guest alone in your apartment all night," May says. "She'll wonder where you are."

"She'll think I'm working. I was working last night."

She pushes him, although not hard enough to actually knock him off the bed, which he knows she could do easily. "Go."

"Fine." He sits up and starts pulling his clothes back on.

He gets back at 1 AM, and just as he predicted all Skye says is, "S.H.I.E.L.D. works you really hard, huh?"

The next night he puts up more of a fight, and May lets him stay until morning. He gets back at 6 AM, and again Skye does not comment or smirk. He thinks they have gotten away with it until May tells him about their conversation at lunch.

He can feel the blood draining from his face as he asks, "So what did they say?"

"She was pretty curious about where you had been all night. Ward just said he wasn't going to ask you about it."

"What did you say? Did they guess I was with you?"

She gives him a withering look. "I can keep a secret."

 

4\. Level Three

May does not understand how it can be so difficult to get someone approved for S.H.I.E.L.D. temporary housing. During her lunch she decides to deal with it herself even though it means going back to level 3 to talk to the housing officer.

The agent looks weary when May tells her that she is there regarding approval for Skye.

"Not you too," she complains, "I've already told Agent Coulson earlier today that she doesn't have the necessary clearance yet."

"The paperwork went in months ago. How can you still be processing it?" May asks.

The agent gives the typical level 3 response. "These things take time. It's in the system."

"I used to work here too. I know how it works on level 3," May reminds her.

She had always made it a point not to get too familiar with the other level 3 agents when she was there, but for some reason this woman decides to lean forward and say, "Last time your team was here, Agent Coulson called down here every day, I assume because Skye was staying with him, and I heard he has a new girlfriend in the city. But I don't know why he's still calling now. He told me that this time Skye's staying with you." She looks slightly confused, then her eyes widen as the truth dawns on her.

May wonders why S.H.I.E.L.D. agents seem to have nothing better to talk about than each other's sex lives. She turns and walks away without another word.

 

5\. Nick Fury

Coulson is slowly kissing his way down her neck when they are interrupted by the buzzer. "That must be the food," he says. "I'll be right back." It has been hard to find a moment alone together. Normally she refuses to come to his apartment, but they do not have any other options as Skye is staying with her. He hops out of bed, pulls on his pants and shirt, and goes out to pay the delivery man. He peers through the peephole and is shocked to see a S.H.I.E.L.D. badge staring back at him. He wonders why someone would just show up at his apartment instead of calling first.

When he opens the door he's expecting to see a junior agent, or maybe Ward or Sitwell. Maybe even Maria Hill. Definitely not Nick Fury.

Fury storms in and slams the door behind him. "Where's Agent May? Tell her to get her ass out here." Before Coulson can say anything he adds, "And don't even think about pretending that she's not here." He gestures at the couch, and Coulson realizes that her blouse is lying on it.

May must have heard Fury's voice from his bedroom because she appears in the doorway. In her haste to get dressed she has put on the pants she wore to work that day and one of his Captain America T-shirts.

Coulson did not think it was possible, but seeing May in one of his shirts makes Fury even angrier. "Really?" he shouts. "Really? Do you know how much of a headache you two have given me? All of level three is giggling about you! You're supposed to be two of my most senior agents, and you're acting like a couple of teenagers!"

Coulson is nervous, but he does his best to remain calm. "Sir, we were discrete."

"You call this discrete? If I have to hear about your sex life, then you are not being discrete!"

"Yes sir," he says. "It won't happen again."

"You bet it won't happen again. Because if I have to keep hearing about the two of you I'm going to pull Agent May off the team."

"Yes sir," he says.

"I'll have Skye's approval for temporary housing on your desk tomorrow. But don't think that means you're off the hook. I Just want everyone at S.H.I.E.L.D. to stop talking about this."

"Yes sir. Thank you sir."

"Goddamn senior agents behaving like teenagers."

Fury storms out, almost knocking over the poor delivery man. From the look on his face, he heard a lot Fury's screaming. He wordlessly hands them their food, and Coulson thrusts more than enough money in his hand and shuts the door in his face.

"It could have been worse," he says.

May looks at him incredulously. "How could that have been worse?"

Coulson shrugs. "Sometimes it's worse."

May frowns. "How many of these talks have you had?"

Coulson tries to avoid her gaze, but she stares him down until he says, "Not many."

She rolls her eyes, then looks from the food to him. "I"m not really in the mood for this anymore," she says. She pulls off his T-shirt and throws it at him, then puts her own blouse back on. She starts to leave but pauses at the door. "I'll see you later tonight at the bar."

Coulson smiles. "I'll tell Skye the good news."

**Author's Note:**

> When we started writing "Five Times Skye Tried to Find a Place to Stay in New York" we had no idea just how much trouble these two were getting themselves into.


End file.
